PSA from the Swedish embassy: Sweden and Switzerland are NOT the same

According to the Swedish Embassy of Manila, if it weren’t for the World Cup, people would probably still be in the dark, thinking Sweden and Switzerland are one and the same.

The Swedish Embassy of Manila took to Facebook to enlighten their followers with a public service announcement leading to the Sweden-Switzerland match which happened July 3.

Turns out a lot of other countries are experiencing the same confusion so even other international embassies in other nations had to release infographics on social media to educate the public on the difference between the two.

For starters, they each have very distinct landforms. Sweden is a peninsular country, meaning it is surrounded by bodies of water, whereas Switzerland is an alpine one with high mountains ideal for skiing.

And as pointed out by the Swedish Embassy of Manila, Sweden is famous for IKEA, which serves Köttbullar or meatballs (which are actually Turkish in origin, according to Sweden’s official Twitter account). On the other hand, Switzerland’s identifying dish is fondue.

Swedish meatballs are actually based on a recipe King Charles XII brought home from Turkey in the early 18th century. Let’s stick to the facts! pic.twitter.com/JuTDEjq9MM

In the end, Sweden eventually won against Switzerland, at least in the World Cup. They advance to the quarterfinals, which happened for the first time since 1994. This should help other people tell them apart, too, should the other facts presented here prove insufficient.

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